Sony HDR-TG5V

Color (7.71)

The Sony HDR-TG5V measured a color error of 4.54 in our bright light testing. This is a decent score, although it is a bit worse than some of the top-level camcorders on the market. The TG5V had a saturation level of 90.44% in this test as well, which means its colors were strong and vivid. More on how we test color.

Color Accuracy Performance
	Color Error Map
	The map on the left is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camera processed each particular color while capturing video. The Sony HDR-TG5V produced a color error of 4.54 and a saturation level of 90.44% in our bright light color testing.

The HDR-TG5V’s bright light image definitely looks good. Colors are strong and crisp even though they weren’t as accurate as other high-end camcorders. Still, the TG5V did actually do better in this test (slightly) than the Sony HDR-XR520V. The Color Error Map above shows that the HDR-TG5V was most accurate in producing blue tones, while the rest of the tested colors were off by roughly the same amount. The camcorder has no color modes or color adjustment options for fine-tuning your image.

Auto 100% Crop

Since the TG5V has no color adjustment options, the above image is a sample frame pulled from our bright light color testing in auto mode (with a manual white balance). Below are comparison images between the HDR-TG5V and similar camcorders. The TG5V definitely stands up well to the competition. It captures deeper colors than both the JVC GZ-X900 and Sony HDR-XR520V and its image has quite a bit of ‘pop.’

Sony HDR-TG5V Color Comparisons
Sony HDR-TG5V
Sanyo VPC-HD2000 JVC Everio GZ-X900 Sony HDR-XR520V More...

Close-Up Color Comparisons				Expand
	Ideal	Sony HDR-TG5V	Sanyo VPC-HD2000	JVC Everio GZ-X900	Sony HDR-XR520V
Red
Green
Blue
Light Skin
Dark Skin

The Sony HDR-TG5V captures colors with decent accuracy, it is up to you to decide what image is actually the best. Some may prefer the softer colors captured by the JVC GZ-X900, while others may prefer the over-saturation on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000. Much of what makes a color performance labeled as ‘good’ is based on personal preference. As long as a camcorder The Sony HDR-TG5V is definitely in the mix as well—it rendered colors just as well as the best of them.

Low Light Color (6.55)

In our low light testing, the Sony HDR-TG5V came close to matching the results from Sony’s high-end HDR-XR520V. Admittedly, the TG5V’s color accuracy was a bit worse and captured less saturated colors, but the results from the two camcorders weren’t all that different. The TG5V measured a color error of 5.59 and a saturation level of 63.66 in this test. More on how we test low light color.

Low Light Color Accuracy Performance
	Color Error Map
	The map on the left is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camera processed each particular color while capturing video. The Sony HDR-TG5V produced a color error of and a saturation level of in our bright light color testing.

The big story here is how much better the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 performed with this test. The Sanyo captured a significantly brighter image than the TG5V, and its colors were exceptionally vibrant (possibly too vibrant for some tastes). Below you can see how the TG5V looks compared to the competition. It managed a better picture than the JVC GZ-X900, which had weak colors and a green hue that coated its entire low light image. The TG5V rendered an image that looks similar to the Sony XR520V, but its colors were a bit duller and darker than its larger, more expensive cousin.

Noise (11.69)

Noise levels on the HDR-TG5V were very good in bright light. The camcorder averaged 0.425% noise in our testing, which is better than average, but a bit worse than the Sony HDR-XR520V managed. With the HDR-TG5V you can expect to have relatively noise-free video in bright light. More on how we test noise.

Sony HDR-TG5V Noise Comparisons
Sony HDR-TG5V 100% Crop	Sanyo VPC-HD2000 100% Crop JVC Everio GZ-X900 100% Crop Sony HDR-XR520V 100% Crop More...

The crops above don’t show much noise, mainly because the four camcorders we used as comparisons did very well with this test. What the crops do show is the difference in sharpness between the four camcorders. The Sony HDR-TG5V definitely captures a bit less detail than the rest of the camcorders. Its numbers are fuzzier and it is more difficult to see a distinction between the lines on the vertical trumpet. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 is similar to the HDR-TG5V, but we measured slightly better results for the Sanyo in our video sharpness test. The JVC GZ-X900 leads the pack when it comes to sharpness, which you can read about more in the next section of this review.